Gabriel Martinelli has expressed confidence that Arsenal are more than capable of containing the threat posed by his fellow Brazilian, Estevao, ahead of Sunday’s London derby at Stamford Bridge.
The 18-year-old Chelsea sensation has made an immediate impact since his summer arrival, dazzling fans with a spectacular solo strike during the Blues’ midweek Champions League rout of Barcelona.
Despite his early exploits, the young winger has yet to experience the intensity of one of the Premier League’s most fiercely contested fixtures.
Asked whether he would brief Arsenal’s left-backs, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly, ahead of the clash, Martinelli told football.london, “Yeah, I mean, of course I’ll try to tell them some stuff but I also think we are good enough to handle him.”
Martinelli himself boasts an impressive record against Chelsea, having lost just once in 10 encounters and scoring two memorable goals at Stamford Bridge.
Reflecting on his recent impact off the bench in Arsenal’s victory over Bayern Munich, he added, “I always like to play the big ones against big teams.
“I feel comfortable playing those matches because it’s always an open game.
“We know how hard it is to play in this league but we’re trusting ourselves.
“We have to do our job, we have to keep going so let’s just go there on Sunday to win the game.”
